(Megan S. polls the Che Underground for top lyrics.)
I thought I would take advantage of this vast collective musical knowledge to ask a question: Which lyrics have meant the most to you?
When I was young, music was a sort of neural primal scream. The lyrics were just more sounds in the mix and didn’t really mean much at the time: I hadn’t fallen in nor out of love, been beaten down by The Man, known much about regret nor spent much time down by the river. I was mostly concerned with scraping up gas money.
It wasn’t until I was older that the lyrics started really to stand out to me. I listened to the words and marveled at how often they just got it. Of course, by that stage in the game, I had felt anger and pain, joy and fear, and the power of a good song to just take you there.
I also started to realize how smart songs could be, and began to appreciate word play, irony, and cleverness in lyrics, and that often, the best songs for your heart had to make their way through your mind.
I Laughed, I Cried: Rock-’n’-Roll Lyrics at Their Best and Worst
So what are the lyrics that have seen you through? Which lyrics are like poetry set in 4/4 meter, telling your story in metaphor? Which ones share your secrets? Which ones will you dance for? make you shine? Well, you get the picture …
— Megan S.
The lyrics to the first Modern Lovers album kept my brains (more or less) inside my head at a crucial juncture of late adolescence.
When you get out of the hospital,
Let me back into your life,
I can’t stand what you do —
I’m in love with your eyes
The Only Ones line:
“Space travel’s in my blood, there ain’t nothin’ I can do about it”, was a brain opener for me.
Well she was sensitive,
She understood me,
She understood the European things of 1943 —
But she does all these things that I can’t stand,
I get jealous if she stays with another man,
She cracked, I’m sad, but I won’t;
She cracked, I’m hurt, you’re right
PS: In case I wasn’t clear — that was a lifesaver in 1985, most assuredly not now. 🙂
Bottle of wine
fruit of the vine
when you gonna let me get sober?
Leave me alone
Let me go home
Let me go back
and start over
I don’t need anyone
don’t need no mom and dad
don’t need no pretty face
don’t need no human race
I’ve got some news for you
don’t even need you too
strange enough, these lyrics actually brought me comfort, letting me know that I wasn’t the only one feeling alone and angry, still love it to this day!
I can’t fight this feeling anymore
I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for
It’s time to bring this ship into the shore
I can’t fight this feeling…anymore.
You’ve made me into someone /
who should not hold a loaded gun
Recalling the black and white images from Vietnam as a young kid, this line from Darby Crash always struck me as an astute distillation of our generation:
“We’re the red-eyed legends from the night before,
We’re the dead-mind babies of the TV war.”
Here’s a guilty pleasure one. It never struck me as insightful at all when I was young, but I’m amused to say it has described things pretty accurately in a lot of cases.
“You can’t always get what you want,
but if you try sometime, you just might find,
You get what you need.”
and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes, I thougt it was there for good, so I never tried.
>>Here’s a guilty pleasure one. It never struck me as insightful at all when I was young, but I’m amused to say it has described things pretty accurately in a lot of cases.
Paul: That’s a little spooky … I just followed the exact same train of thought about that song last week, when I heard it at physical therapy. (A good place to meditate on the effects of age.) “Boy, I always thought the Stones kind of phoned these lyrics in — but now, ya know, ‘You can’t always get what you want … ‘ That’s true!”
Going to put it in the want ad.
Extra Extra read all about it
Wanted, young man single and free,
experienced in loving baby
but will accept a young chinese
de ja vous all over again
Don’t call me nigger,whitey
Don’t call me whitey,nigger
There’s a party in my mind…And it never stops
There’s a party up there all the time…
They’ll party till they drop
Other people can go home…Other people they can split
I’ll be here all the time…I can never quit
Take a walk through the land of shadows
Take a walk through the peaceful meadows
Try not to look so disappointed
It isn’t what you hoped for, is it?
There’s a party in my mind…And I hope it never stops
I’m stuck here in this seat…I might not stand up
Everything is very quiet
Everyone has gone to sleep
I’m wide awake on memories
These memories can’t wait.
-Talking Heads
Spider and I
Sit watching the sky
On our world without sound.
We knit a web
To catch one tiny fly
For our world without sound.
We sleep in the mornings,
We dream of a ship that sails away,
A thousand miles away.
-Eno
“and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes, I thought it was there for good, so I never tried.”
This cannot be beat….thanks Lou….sincerely, L. Cohen
Oh wait…same song…”I hear that you’re building your little house deep in the desert. You’re living for nothing now, I hope you’re keeping some kind of record”.
What is the color, when black is burned?
I keep looking for a place to fit
Where I can speak my mind
I’ve been trying hard to find the people
That I won’t leave behind
They say I got brains
But they ain’t doing me no good
I wish they could
Each time things start to happen again
I think I got something good goin’ for myself
But what goes wrong
Sometimes I feel very sad
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can’t find nothin’ I can put my heart and soul into)
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can’t find nothin’ I can put my heart and soul into)
I guess I just wasn’t made for these times
Every time I get the inspiration
To go change things around
No one wants to help me look for places
Where new things might be found
Where can I turn when my fair weather friends cop out
What’s it all about
Each time things start to happen again
I think I got something good goin’ for myself
But what goes wrong
Sometimes I feel very sad
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can’t find nothin’ I can put my heart and soul into)
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can’t find nothin’ I can put my heart and soul into)
I guess I just wasn’t made for these times
After having my son, I couldn’t listen to Pink Floyd’s “Mother” without totally losing it.
“Be wise, look ahead./Use your eyes, he said. /Be straight, think right./ But I might die tonight.”
Set the tone from 1977 forward.
“Of course I’ve had in the ear before./I’ve got a lust for life.”
Father
It’s not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
You’re still young, that’s your fault,
There’s so much you have to know.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy.
I was once like you are now, and I know that it’s not easy,
To be calm when you’ve found something going on.
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything you’ve got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.
Son
How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again.
It’s always been the same, same old story.
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.
Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.
Father
It’s not time to make a change,
Just sit down, take it slowly.
You’re still young, that’s your fault,
There’s so much you have to go through.
Find a girl, settle down,
if you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy.
(Son-- Away Away Away, I know I have to
Make this decision alone -- no)
Son
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It’s hard, but it’s harder to ignore it.
If they were right, I’d agree, but it’s them They know not me.
Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.
(Father-- Stay Stay Stay, Why must you go and
make this decision alone?)
Still don’t know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets and
Every time I thought I’d got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I’ve never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I’m much too fast to take that test
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
Turn and face the strange
(Ch-ch-Changes)
Don’t want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
Turn and face the strange
(Ch-ch-Changes)
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can’t trace time
I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
So the days float through my eyes
But stil the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They’re quite aware of what they’re going through
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
Turn and face the strange
(Ch-ch-Changes)
Don’t tell them to grow up and out of it
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
Turn and face the stranger
(Ch-ch-Changes)
Where’s your shame
You’ve left us up to our necks in it
Time may change me
But you can’t trace time
Strange fascination, fascinating me
Ah changes are taking the pace I’m going through
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strange)
Ch-ch-Changes
Oh, look out you rock ‘n rollers
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strange)
Ch-ch-Changes
Pretty soon now you’re gonna get older
Time may change me
But I can’t trace time
I said that time may change me
But I can’t trace time
If I could save time in a bottle,
the first thing that I’de like to do,
is to save every day till eternity passes away,
then to spend them with you
one night i was layin down
and i heard mama talking
i heard papa tell mama
let that boy boogie woogie
and it felt so good
and i boogie just the same
john lee hooker
Gary,
Those Bowie lyrics are among my favorite ever. Anything from Hunky Dory gets me.
Bruce,
You DID NOT just quote REO Speedwagon.
“Tear the roof off the mutha. Tear the roof off the mutha suckah. Tear the roof off the mutha. Oww! We need the funk! Gotta have some funk!”
“You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And, then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun”
I remember feeling so grateful to hear that when I was 12 or 13- like someone had warned me just in time. Many times since, I’ve remembered those lyrics at key moments, then breathed a prayer of thanks to Roger Waters.
or “She’s leaving home” (bye bye). And then I did just that.
I lived inside the lyrics of Beatle songs from around 4 years on…
HA!!! RAY Brandes caught me…lol. I love this thread….half humor half great lyrics.
“They say I shot a man named grey and took his wife to Italy…
She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me..
I can’t help it…if I’m lucky.”
Queen of Light took her bow
And then she turned to go
The Prince of Peace embraced the gloom
And walked the night alone
Oh, dance in the dark of night
Sing to the morning light
The dark Lord rides in force tonight
And time will tell us all
Oh, throw down your plow and hoe
Rest not to lock your homes
Side by side we wait the might
Of the darkest of them all
I hear the horses’ thunder
Down in the valley blow
I’m waiting for the angels of Avalon
Waiting for the eastern glow
The apples of the valley hold
The seeds of happiness
The ground is rich from tender care
Repay, do not forget, no, no
Dance in the dark of night
Sing to the morning light
The apples turn to brown and black
The tyrant’s face is red.
Oh war is the common cry
Pick up you swords and fly
The sky is filled with good and bad
That mortals never know
Oh, well, the night is long
The beads of time pass slow
Tired eyes on the sunrise
Waiting for the eastern glow
The pain of war cannot exceed
The woe of aftermath
The drums will shake the castle wall
The ring wraiths ride in black
Ride on
Sing as you raise your bow
Shoot straighter than before
No comfort has the fire at night
That lights the face so cold
Oh dance in the dark of night
Sing to the morning light
The magic runes are writ in gold
To bring the balance back
Bring it back
At last the sun is shining
The clouds of blue roll by
With flames from the dragon ofdarkness
The sunlight blinds his eyes
Lay your head on my shoulder,
hold your warm and tender body close to mine
“All the bad boys are standing in the shadows/And the good girls are at home with broken hearts/Now I’m free, free fallin’ ”
Cured a lot of girl drama.
Big boys don’t cry
Big boys don’t cry
these are so beautiful and so sad, with so haunting a melody, this song always completely stops me in my tracks:
Candy says I’ve come to hate my body
and all that it requires in this world
Candy says I’d like to know completely
what others so discretely talk about
Candy says I hate the quiet places
that cause the smallest taste of what will be
Candy says I hate the big decisions
that cause endless revisions in my mind
I’m gonna watch the blue birds fly over my shoulder
I’m gonna watch them pass me by
Maybe when I’m older
What do you think I’d see
If I could walk away from me
and on a somewhat lighter note:
It’s no good trying to place your hand
where I can’t see because I understand
that you’re different from me
yes I can tell
that you can’t be what you pretend
and you’re rocking backwards
and you’re rocking towards the
red and yellow mane of a stallion horse.
It’s no good trying to hold your love
where I can’t see because I understand
that you’re different from me
yes I can tell
that you can’t be what you pretend
the caterpillar hood won’t cover the head of you
no, you should be home in bed.
It’s no good holding your sequin fan
where I can’t see because I understand
that you’re different from me
yes I can tell
that you can’t be what you pretend
yes you’re spinning around and around in a car
with electric lights flashing very fast
We are two strangers’ gazes,
Holding what time erases …
Never, never, never, never, never, never, never
paul…nice lou reference…i loved that album.
you’ve got a lotta nerve
to say you are my friend
when I was down
you just stood there grinning
same song later
I wish that for just one time
you could stand inside my shoes
you’d know what a drag it is to see you
I remember hearing this when I was 14 or 15 and it really hit home
guess I was pretty antisocial even before I hooked up with the SD freak scene
hard to believe I had any freinds at all, with this attitude
@Robin: Tom Petty is great example of what I was talking about. Earlier in life I didn’t like him because I wasn’t fond of the sound of his voice, but now that I am older I realize how freakin fabulous his lyrics can be. Sometimes they just pop out and thwack me on the back of the head. I really love Tom Petty now.
lee i just posted those lyrics on my fb…man i love that song so much and can relate to the hatred spewed in them…pure punk rock.
If I ain’t back by 5am start phoning round the hospitalsThe memories of all my pearls are pouring out my nostrilsI’m the one Mother Nature had to recallMy back back back’s against the wallPut me out of my misery -- I’m dying to get away from it allNorth South Mae West -- da boid gets da boidI’m shaken but I ain’t stoid -- I’m gonna carry on undetoidI got a LUST FOR DEATHGot a lust got a lust got a LUST FOR DEATHLibido in Limbo -- Legs AkimboNever even ever read a word of RimbaudThe walls of my stomach think they’re JERICHOI’m about to meet my MEXICOMake mine a double TEXACOI’M THE DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD DADDIOI’se coughin up blood on a nice clean shirtNose eyes ears throat roads are blockedCan see the light at the end of the tunneland I’d rather die young than diurnalI’m the one Ralph Nader had to recallMy BACK BACK BACK’S up against the wallPut me outa my misery -- I’m dying to get away from it allNorth South Mae West -- My lips are blue and so am INorth South Mae West -- Gimme a break! LUST or BUST!NORTH SOUTH MAE WEST -- I maybe shakin but I ain’t stoidDa boid gets da boid -- I mo carry on undetoidI BIN HUNG! IBIN HUNG! THROAT CUR MEAT HOOK FROM THE ROOF!HUMAN HEIFFER FOR A FILLET VEAL!HUGH HEFNER AND A HUMAN MEAL!SOMEONE’S MAKING ME A HUMAN MEAL! SOMEONE’S MAKING ME A HUMANMEAL!I got a LUST FOR DEATHGot a lust got a lust got a LUST FOR DEATHLibido in Limbo -- Legs AkimboNever even ever read a word of RimbaudThe walls of my stomach think they’re JERICHOI’m about to meet my MEXICOMake mine a double TEXACOI’M THE DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD DADDIO
Dang. What could follow that? Let’s try:
“Just look at them and sigh. And know they love you.”
She reads Babel by candlelight
And then she sets it next to Rimbaud
And she says some day I’m gonna write a book
Before I get too old
megan, i hear you on “mother”…
kristen, dude, beatles songs defined my head for my whole adolescence.
gary, thank you for posting that.
bruce… yeah, reo, man…
here’s what carried me for a long time:
Please beware of them that stare
They’ll only smile to see you while
Your time away
And once you’ve seen what they have been
To win the earth just won’t seem worth
Your night or your day
Who’ll hear what I say.
Look around you find the ground
Is not so far from where you are
Don´t too wise
For down below they never grow
They’re always tired and charms are hired
From out of their eyes
Never surprise.
Take your time and you’ll be fine
And say a prayer for people there
Who live on the floor
And if you see what’s meant to be
Don’t name the day or try to say
It happened before.
Don’t be shy you learn to fly
And see the sun when day is done
If only you see
Just what you are beneath a star
That came to stay one rainy day
In autumn for free
Yes, be what you’ll be.
Please beware of them that stare
They’ll only smile to see you while
Your time away
And once you’ve seen what they have been
To win the earth just won’t seem worth
Your night or your day
Who’ll hear what I say.
Open up the broken cup
Let goodly sin and sunshine in
Yes that’s today.
And open wide the hymns you hide
You find reknown while people frown
At things that you say
But say what you’ll say
About the farmers and the fun
And the things behind the sun
And the people round your head
Who say everything’s been said
And the movement in your brain
Sends you out into the rain.
nick drake was a prophet and a scholar and lost too soon.
Mom just get me a Pepsi, please
All I want is a Pepsi, and she wouldn’t give it to me
All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi, and she wouldn’t give it to me.
Just a Pepsi.
Great one Ava…I was kinda kidding on the REO!!
(i knew that, monsieur).
Ava, don’t forget the words from Quadrophenia! Me and my friend Raquel used to sing the whole album on the bus on the way to SCPA in the morning.
“There are men high up there fishing,
Haven’t seen quite enough of the world,
I ain’t seen a sign of my heroes,
And I’m still diving down for pearls.
Let me flow into the ocean,
Let me get back to the sea.
Let me be stormy and let me be calm,
Let the tide in, and set me free.
I’m flowing under bridges,
Then flying through the sky,
I’m travelling down cold metal
Just a tear in baby’s eye.
Let me flow into the ocean
Let me get back to the sea
Let me be stormy and let me be calm
Let the tide in, come set me free.
I am not the actor
This can’t be the scene
But I am in the water,
As far as I can see…
I’m remembering distant memories
Recalling other names.
Rippling over canyons,
And boiling in the train.
I wanna drown
In cold water”
Not ENTIRELY kidding…(REO)…isn’t there SOMEthing compelling about that schmaltz?? Is schmaltz a word??
Where are you walking, I’ve seen you walking
Have you been there before?
Walk down your doorsteps, you’ll take some more steps
What did you take them for?
There’s a private in my boat and he wears
Fins instead of medals on his coat
There’s a chicken in my nest and she won’t
Lay until I’ve given her my best
At her request she asks for nothing
You get nothing in return
If you want she brings you water
If you don’t then you will burn
You go through changes, it may seem strange
Is this what you’re put here for?
You think you’re happy and you are happy
That’s what you’re happy for
There’s a man who can’t decide if he should
Fight for what his father thinks is right
There are people wearing frowns who’ll screw you up
But they would rather screw you down
At my request I ask for nothing
You get nothing in return
If you’re nice she’ll bring me water
If you’re not then I will burn
This is the time and life that I am living
And I’ll face each day with a smile
For the time that I’ve been given’s such a little while
And the things that I must do consist of more than style
There are places that I am going
This is the only thing that I am sure of
And that’s all that lives is gonna die
And there’ll always be some people here to wonder why
And for every happy hello, there will be good-bye
There’ll be time for you to put yourself on
Everything I’ve seen needs rearranging
And for anyone who thinks it’s strange
Then you should be the first to want to make this change
And for everyone who thinks that life is just a game
Do you like the part you’re playing?
I see your picture
It’s in the same old frame
We meet again
You look so lovely
You with the same old smile
Stay for a while
I need you so, oh, oh, oh, oh
And if you take it easy
I’m still teethin’
I wanna love you, but
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
This is the time and life that I am living
And I’ll face each day with a smile
For the time that I’ve been given’s such a little while
And the things that I must do consist of more than style
There’ll be time for you to start all over
This is the time and this is the time and
It is time, time, time, time, time, time, time, time, time…
It’s really true y’know. You set the scene.
Yeah, Bruce, Kansas always makes me a little maudlin.
Sit on your hands on the bus of survivors blushing at all the Afro-sheeners…
And yes, schmaltz is a word. And a beautiful one at that.
(It comes from the Yiddish for grease or fat: smalts. I love Yiddish. Most expressive language out there.)
Thanks Megan -- REO, Kansas…what’s next?? Oh, I like Dokken sometimes…shouldn’t all this be under guilty pleasures??
I think we should all free ourselves from the burden of coolness. We like what we like. Nothing to feel guilty about!
Paul I don’t know if that is supposed to be a joke or not…but if not…thanks man!
No joke Gary. Been carrying that with me for about 30 years with many great memories.
megan, you KNOW i am all about accepting the fact that i like really dorky tunes. case in point:
So this ain’t the end -- I saw you again today
Had to turn my heart away
You smiled like the Sun -- kisses for everyone
and tales -- it never fails!
You lying so low in the weeds
Bet you gonna ambush me
You’d have me down on my knees
Wouldn’t you, Barracuda?
Back over Time when we were all trying for free
Met up with porpoise and me
No right no wrong you’re selling a Song -- a name
whisper game
If the real thing don’t do the trick
You better make up something quick
You gonna burn it out to the wick
aren’t you, Barracuda?
“Sell me sell you” the porpoise said
Dive down deep to save my head
You… I think you got the blues too.
All that night and all the next
Swam without looking back
Made for the western pools -silly fools!
I’ll see your Heart and raise you a Fleetwood Mac:
I took my love, I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
‘Till the landslide brought me down
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life~~~
Mmmm mmm mmm
Well, I’ve been afraid of changing
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I’m getting older too
(Interlude)
Well, I’ve been afraid of changing
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I’m getting older too
Oh I’m getting older too
Awh, take my love, take it down
Awh, Climb a mountain and turn around
And If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide bring it down
And If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide bring it down
Oh the landslide bring it down.
“There’s a land that I see where the children are free. And they say it ain’t far to this land from where we are.”
And now this is where I am
When I was a lad, I was a little bit shy.
Something came along and caught my eye.
When I heard the jazz band strike up,
I swear, I had my mind made up.
Now I’m getting older
Everything is in full swing.
Now I’m getting bolder
Man, I’ve got to do that thing.
I used to walk along with the rest
Now I’ve got something all my own
Now you’ve got a little something new.
Broke away, somehow.
That’s why I’m swinging it
I’ve got my own thing now!
Children put away your toys
All your little children’s games.
Let the jazz band make some noise
Step up ladies and watch out boys.
‘mirror on the wall,
Who’s the hot band in the hall? ‘
Let everybody sing
Get on out there and do your thing.
LANDSLIDE is too cool…no fair.
Db F# Ab A
D G Bb
C# Eb Ab B F C
Db F# A
OK Louis…played it….what is it?????
“In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade. And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him til he cried out in his anger and his shame, ‘I am leaving; I am leaving.’ But the fighter still remains.”
ava that mark kozelek song gives me a lump in the throat every time i hear it—
That is a good one.
kozelek has a special way of bringing the feelings we have to words and then adding that guitar like no other. i have a huge crush on him. he’s a lost boy, but what a fantastic writer…
@ gary: duk koo kim is another one which makes my heart break.
God Bless America, land that I love, stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above.
Glory to our great Motherland, mighty and free,
Bulwark of people, in brotherhood strong!
Oh! Party of Lenin! The strength of the people.
To Communism’s triumph lead us on!
Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,
Über alles in der Welt,
Wenn es stets zu Schutz und Trutze
Brüderlich zusammenhält,
Von der Maas bis an die Memel,
Von der Etsch bis an den Belt --
Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,
Über alles in der Welt.
Allons enfants de la Patrie
Le jour de gloire est arrivé.
Contre nous, de la tyrannie,
L’étendard sanglant est levé,
l’étendard sanglant est levé.
Entendez-vous, dans les campagnes.
Mugir ces féroces soldats
Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras
Egorger vos fils,
vos compagnes.
Aux armes citoyens!
Formez vos bataillons,
Marchons, marchons!
Qu’un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons.
Freude，Schoner Gotterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum.
Deine Zauber binden wieder,
Was die Mode streng geteilt:
Alle Menschen werden Bruder,
Wo dein sanfter Flugel weilt.
Hush now child,
and don’t you cry
Your folks might understand you
by and by
Move on up
towards your destination
You may find
from time to time
Complications
Bight your lip
and take a trip
Though there may be
wet road ahead
You cannot slip
So move on up
and peace you will find
Into the steeple
of beautiful people
Where there’s only one kind
So hush now child
and don’t you cry
Your folks might understand you
by and by
Just move on up
and keep on wishing
Remember your dreams
are your only schemes
So keep on pushing
Take nothing less --
not even second best
And do not obey --
you must have your say
You can past the test
Move on up!
I want to get under your skin
If i get there, i’ve got to win
You need some soul, come on get some
And then you’ll know, where i’m comin’ from
I may lay in the cut and go along
And i’m still on the case and my rap is strong
Huh huh, hey
Go jump on my train, when i’m outta sight
Just check yourself, huh, and say, yeah you’re right
Huh, hit me, give me, put it there, huh
Love me tender, and love me slow
If that don’t get it, jump back for more
We gotta gotta gotta, get in the bracket
You know i like it, hey
There’s wheat in the field
And water in the stream
And salt in the mine
And an aching in me
I can no longer stand and wonder
‘Cos I’m driven by this hunger
So I’ll jug some water
Bake some flour
Store some salt and wait the hour
While I’m thinking of love
Love is thinking for me
And the baker will come
And the baker I’ll be
I am depending on my labour
The texture and the flavour
from the first time i heard this song by randy newman i just knew that this is one of the purest and honest love songs ever written…
Guilty
Yes, baby, I been drinkin’
And I shouldn’t come by I know
But I found myself in trouble
And I had nowhere else to go
Got some whisky from the barman
Got some cocaine from a friend
I just had to keep on movin’
Til I was back in your arms again
Guilty, baby I’m guilty
And I’ll be guilty the rest of my life
How come I never do what I’m supposed to do
How come nothin’ that I try to do ever turns out right?
You know, you know how it is with me baby
You know, I just can’t stand myself
And it takes a whole lot of medicine
For me to pretend that I’m somebody else
i remember the first time i heard this song i there was a certain romantic and innocence about it…it was only later on that i realized it was a foreshadow of nightmares to come:
Lodi
J. Fogerty)
Just about a year ago, I set out on the road,
Seekin’ my fame and fortune, lookin’ for a pot of gold.
Things got bad, and things got worse, I guess you will know the tune.
Oh ! Lord, stuck in Lodi again.
Rode in on the Greyhound, I’ll be walkin’ out if I go.
I was just passin’ through, must be seven months or more.
Ran out of time and money, looks like they took my friends.
Oh ! Lord, I’m stuck in Lodi again.
The man from the magazine said I was on my way.
Somewhere I lost connections, ran out of songs to play.
I came into town, a one night stand, looks like my plans fell through
Oh ! Lord, stuck in Lodi again.
Mmmm…
If I only had a dollar, for ev’ry song I’ve sung.
And ev’ry time I’ve had to play while people sat there drunk.
You know, I’d catch the next train back to where I live.
Oh ! Lord, I’m stuck in Lodi again.
Oh ! Lord, I’m stuck in Lodi again.
I’m neither religious nor nationalistic, but looking at the lyrics, I have to disagree with the comparison of “God Bless America” to the Soviet national anthem or the old first verse of the Deutschelied.
Both of the other songs are triumphalist in one way or another … The German one, of course, is notorious for setting Germany above all others. (The Germans still use the song but now start with the third verse, which calls for unity, justice and freedom.)
“God Bless America,” by contrast (which I’d never thought much about until comparisons started being drawn) is framed as a personal request. Strip away the bombast of the melody, and it’s a fairly intimate meditation on the relationship betwee the narrator, his God and his country.
The narrator personally loves the country in its natural splendor and hopes God will guide it (whatever that means to the listener). There’s nothing about winning … There’s nothing about it being the only country God should bless … Nobody’s striving to beat anybody else in this song … I’m good with that!
*The narrator personally loves the country in its natural splendor and hopes God will guide it (whatever that means to the listener). There’s nothing about winning … There’s nothing about it being the only country God should bless … Nobody’s striving to beat anybody else in this song … I’m good with that!^*
well said!…especially nothing about winning…i like that matthew…this speaks volumes…good on ya brother. i’m proud of you.
If only it were so…the narrator is a lot smarter than the audience!!
“There’s nothing about it being the only country God should bless … Nobody’s striving to beat anybody else in this song … ”
Don’t like Nationalism…at all…leads to, well, genocides….for one thing!
…and one more although merle haggard wrote this…it was the grateful deads version that i heard first…one of the coolest things that ever happened to me was meeting merle and talking to him about this song:
Mama Tried
The first thing I remember knowing,
Was a lonesome whistle blowing,
And a young un’s dream of growing up to ride;
On a freight train leaving town,
Not knowing where I’m bound,
No-one could change my mind but Mama tried.
One and only rebel child,
From a family, meek and mild:
My Mama seemed to know what lay in store.
Despite all my Sunday learning,
Towards the bad, I kept on turning.
‘Til Mama couldn’t hold me anymore.
And I turned twenty-one in prison doing life without parole.
No-one could steer me right but Mama tried, Mama tried.
Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I denied.
That leaves only me to blame ‘cos Mama tried.
Instrumental break.
Dear old Daddy, rest his soul,
Left my Mom a heavy load;
She tried so very hard to fill his shoes.
Working hours without rest,
Wanted me to have the best.
She tried to raise me right but I refused.
And I turned twenty-one in prison doing life without parole.
No-one could steer me right but Mama tried, Mama tried.
Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I denied.
That leaves only me to blame ‘cos Mama tried.
tom waits is conspicuously absent here:
http://tomwaits.lyrics.info/steprightup.html
testament to consumerism at its finest…
(@matthew… i was just being snarky, not serious, with the deutschelied…)
and the biggest influence on a 7th grade student at earl warren jr. high school…and the person who taught me that you could close your eyes and dream and actually be the person in the song thats dreaming…okay…Ooohhh, thank your God that I’m not aware…And thank God that I just don’t care…And I guess I just don’t know…And I guess I just don’t know…but truly i think it had to be te opening line ^=I don’t know just where I’m going= i’ll shut up now!
I don’t know just where I’m going
But I’m goin’ to try for the kingdom if I can
‘Cause it makes me feel like I’m a man
When I put a spike into my vein
Then I tell you things aren’t quite the same
When I’m rushing on my run
And I feel just like Jesus’ son
And I guess I just don’t know
And I guess that I just don’t know
I have made big decision
I’m goin’ to try to nullify my life
‘Cause when the blood begins to flow
When it shoots up the dropper’s neck
When I’m closing in on death
You can’t help me not you guys
All you sweet girls with all your sweet talk
You can all go take a walk
And I guess I just don’t know
And I guess I just don’t know
I wish that I was born a thousand years ago
I wish that I’d sailed the darkened seas
On a great big clipper ship
Going from this land here to that
I put on a sailor’s suit and cap
Away from the big city
Where a man cannot be free
Of all the evils in this town
And of himself and those around
Oh, and I guess I just don’t know
Oh, and I guess I just don’t know
Heroin, be the death of me
Heroin, it’s my wife and it’s my life
Because a mainer to my vein
Leads to a center in my head
And then I’m better off than dead
When the smack begins to flow
Then I really don’t care anymore
About all the Jim-Jims in this town
And all of the politicians makin’ crazy sounds
And everybody putting everybody else down and
all the dead bodies piled up in mounds
Wow, that heroin is in my blood
And the blood is in my head
Yeah, thank God that I’m good as dead
Ooohhh, thank your God that I’m not aware
And thank God that I just don’t care
And I guess I just don’t know
And I guess I just don’t know
ava!!! don’t get me started on tom!!! o h man…
I’ve mentioned how hard our NJ towns were hit by Sept. 11 … Some parents didn’t come home that night, almost everybody but us newcomers knew someone who’d died … There were some candlelight vigils and some patriotic songs sung.
Even at age seven, it was out of character for my elder daughter to be a participant in such doings — but she went down to the vigil with me and her little sister, and on the walk back, she led us singing a song that hadn’t been on the list — an adult would have judged it way too upbeat for such and elegiac moment — “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
We didn’t know if our area was going to be hit again at any minute — commuting into the city was frankly terrifying for me — and I will never forget marching up the street with my two little kids holding candles and bellowing about keeping your eye on the grand old flag. 🙂
For what it’s worth. …
matt…beautiful actually brought tears to my eyes.
okay one more…this one is the one i left college for and went hitchhiking and i know there are a lot of bruce haters (and dead haters) as well…BUT i submit to you thunder road and take time to read the lyrics.
The screen door slams
Mary’ dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that’s me and I want you only
Don’t turn me home again
I just can’t face myself alone again
Don’t run back inside
Darling you know just what I’m here for
So you’re scared and you’re thinking
That maybe we ain’t that young anymore
Show a little faith there’s magic in the night
You ain’t a beauty but hey you’re alright
Oh and that’s alright with me
You can hide ‘neath your covers
And study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers
Throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a saviour to rise from these streets
Well now I’m no hero
That’s understood
All the redemption I can offer girl
Is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now ?
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow
Back your hair
Well the night’s busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back
Heaven’s waiting on down the tracks
Oh-oh come take my hand
We’re riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh-oh Thunder Road oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it’s late we can make it if we run
Oh Thunder Road sit tight take hold
Thunder Road
Well I got this guitar
And I learned how to make it talk
And my car’s out back
If you’re ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door’s open but the ride it ain’t free
And I know you’re lonely
For words that I ain’t spoken
But tonight we’ll be free
All the promises’ll be broken
There were ghosts in the eyes
Of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road
In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets
They scream your name at night in the street
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet
And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
But when you get to the porch they’re gone
On the wind so Mary climb in
It’s town full of losers
And I’m pulling out of here to win
and for the last two*
1. your just a wimp
2. beat on the brat
okay…really…thats all folks! i send you love send me some water and a car!
You got your high-heeled sneakers on,
Slip-in mules.
You got your high-heeled sneakers on,
And your slip-in mules.
You’re more than all right,
You know you’re out of sight.
You got a shapely _gure, mama,
That’s keep’n’ me uptight.
You got a shapely _gure, mama,
A-keep me uptight.
You’re too much!
You know you’re out of sight.
Hey! The way you do the things you do,
The way you kiss me, too,
The way you do the things you do,
The way you kiss me, too,
A heart delight, that’s what you are.
You know you’re out of sight.
Ho! Hey, hey.
You got a sweet disposition.
Ho! You’re always right.
You got a sweet disposition.
You know you’re always right.
You know just what you’re doin’, baby:
You know you’re out of sight.
Ow! You’re too much.
You’re the end.
You’re so hip, baby.
You know just where it’s at.
You’re beautiful, mama.
Most of all, you’re honest.
There’s no doubt you’re out of sight.
Out of sight! Whoo, wee!
Out of sight!
Heff: “Thunder Road” is beautiful to me. I love that first verse.
“Heroin”: Man, what a gorgeous, dangerous song. I wonder if Lou Reed ever shudders to think about the trouble some youngsters got into on the strength of those lyrics. (Not holding a songwriter accountable for real-world behavior of the audience, mind you … But that is one hell of a siren’s song.)
i sat in the second row at the civic theatre when he did his rock n roll animal tour with arthur lee opening for him—and as soon as he started the song everywhere around me people pulled out their works and shot up…totally surreal, but true story.
Hearts of fire creates love desire
Take you high and higher
To the world you belong
Hearts of fire creates love desire
High and higher
To your place on the throne
We’ve come together on this special day
To sing our message loud and clear
Looking back we’ve touched on sorrowful days
Future, past,
They disappear
You will find peace of mind
If you look way down in your heart and soul
Don’t hesitate ’cause the world seems cold
Stay young at heart
‘Cause you’re never (never, never, ..) old at heart
That’s the way of the world
Plant your flower and you grow a pearl
A child is born
With a heart of gold
Way of the world
Makes his heart grow cold
gary, whoa… and i believe it.
(9/11 held very sad and intense feelings for me, too. i was there, in nyc, when they opened those towers in 1971, and my friend alix was in a subway en route and under the fallout when they went down. she survived, but it was not easy wondering for hours if she had. i woke up that day without an alarm at 5 and ran down the stairs to the radio and tv. i knew, in my bones, something bad had happened. nyc is my second home, and holds memories i cannot fully describe without crying… so i hear you, matthew. that was a terrible day. and it’s still resonant for me.)
matt and ava yeah, i woke up early that morning as well…for some weird reason and put on the news…i got ahold of my friend roscoe (eric ambel) who sent me pictures off his balcony about a mile away from the towers…it was truly frightening…but what i will always remember about 911 from him was an email i got about a month later saying how the stench of death would come in waves still…it made me sick just thinking about it.
and jeremiah…good to see EWF here…i still have a ticket stub from their show at the arena only cost 2 Dollars, and the opening act was Mandrill…i was trying to do a search for the middle act and it looks like it was either kool and the gang or parliament funkadelic which it seems i would have remembered…but i don’t—i just remember going there by myself and thinking <why are the brothers looking at me so funny`?
whew--okay…jeez…i got to stop!!!! i love this kind of stuff as you can tell…i haven’t even gotten into john prine, iris dement, or miles (who needs words!)
911 should be a constant reminder of how dangerous nationalist zeal can be. I’d like to think of ALL flags as being a grand old flag to it’s subscribers.
Gary, wow. Sounds like a complete blast!
Mandrill? Folks don’t remember ’em. I gotta go dig out “Ape is High”, right now!
EWF are -- sublime. Mr. White just seems like a beautiful human being.
okay…one more…you could take any of the lyrics from this thread and see that they could all be played as the blues…imagine one guitar and chris negro on harp on any of these…it would work…thats the magic of music.
i agree bruce! one world…not one world order!
Bruce: Have you listened to “Astral Weeks” yet??
matt…bruce…thats a joke right?
if its not…get stoned and put it on headphones!!!!
BTW, I just want to emphasize with vigor that my “Grand Old Flag” anecdote was not a bid for victimhood! (I’m hardly that!) 🙂
Just an observation that when the chips are down, some symbols actually have meaning. I’m sure there are some corny Afghani songs people sing over there when the shit goes down.
matt i’m asking about bruce and astral weeks—
Until recently, Mr. Injection had not heard this album, Heff … I’m hoping this oversight has been addressed! 🙂
What a great thread!! We all have too much time on our hands…I should be doing laundry.
Not a big fan of Van Morrison…can we still be friends…lol!
Not a big fan of symbols that unite people…conjures up visions of crosses, swatsikas, white hoods. It seems that things that “unite” people do so at the expense of ostracizing others.
I dig the peace sign though…no one hurt by that as far as I know?
dude this album is like lou reeds berlin—thats how great it is…do it.
Greenpeace logo, rainbow flag, UN symbol, Beatles drumhead, anarchy button on a leather jacket … Symbols that unite small or large groups of people.
Are they bad? If we’re going to say symbols of inclusion are bad, we have to eliminate all of them. And personally, I believe that would eliminate a huge chunk of human cognition — most of the stuff that makes song lyrics resonate, actually.
(I don’t think Bruce has listened to “Astral Weeks” yet, Gary.) 🙂
Ha Matt!! Good point!! I LOVE all the symbols you mentioned…hhmmmm…guess I just don’t like EEEEvil symbols?
Van Morrison…bad association…I think you can all relate…someone I LOVE says they can never listen to Blood On The Tracks for same reason…one of my fave records of all time…go figure.
As Matt says, this thread is making its own gravy…much needed since the chat seems to have been primarily moved to FB!
a friend of mine had never heard astral weeks, either. i went and bought it for him and got him a six pack of excellent beer, too. he listened on his headphones and called me, drunk, to tell me that he would forever be in my debt for it.
yep. brilliant. whether or not you like van the man, it’s the best.
our stomachs were full as they could be
and the only ones left were Joe and me
Timothy, Timothy
Joe was looking at you
Timothy, Timothy
God, what did we do?
Number 9
Gary,
I been singing Rock Island Line in a gospel-ly soul rendition for years. Like Al Green, if a mortal can aspire to that. I like taking things into Blues and R&B territory, what are more folky our just complete outside in origin. In my last group, some years ago we did the solid philly soul version of Cindy Tells Me from Here Come the Warm jets. It’s still a shower favorite.
“If you didn’t care what happened to me,
And I didn’t care for you,
We would zig zag our way through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain.
Wondering which of the buggers to blame…”
“Many’s the time I’ve been mistaken, and many times confused
And I’ve often felt forsaken, and certainly misused.
But it’s all right, it’s all right, I’m just weary to my bones…
I don’t know a soul who’s not been battered
Don’t have a friend who feels at ease
Don’t know a dream that’s not been shattered
Or driven to its knees.
But it’s all right, all right, We’ve lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the road we’re traveling on,
I wonder what went wrong, I can’t help it…
I dreamed I was dying. I dreamed my soul rose
unexpectedly …far above, my eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty, drifting away to sea…
We come on a ship we call the Mayflower,
We come on a ship that sailed the moon
We come at the age’s most uncertain hour
And sing the American tune…
You can’t be forever blessed
Still, tomorrow’s gonna be another working day
And I’m trying to get some rest,
That’s all, I’m trying to get some rest.”
Here is a silly interview with the peace sign:
when I was young
making love was so much fun
never needed anyone
those days are gone
“When love is gone, there’s always justice.
When justice is gone, there’s always force.
When force is gone, there’s always mom…
So, hold me, Mom.”
Mammy, how I love ya, how I love ya !
My dear old Mammy, Id walk a 100 miles for one of your smiles,
My Mammy
Time it was, and what a time it was, it was…
A time of innocence, a time of confidences.
Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph…
Preserve your memories,
They’re all that’s left you…
Lou…saw Eric Carmen and the Raspberries at Providence Civic Center, opening for Blue Oyster Cult, I think, 1975???
“Can you imagine us years from today-
Sharing a parkbench quietly?
How terribly strange to be seventy.
Old friends, memory brushes the same years,
Silently sharing the same fears.”
I was just thinking … “Angie Baby” is a really weird song:
Stopping at her house is a neighbor boy
With evil on his mind
‘Cause he’s been peeking in Angie’s room
At night through her window blind
I see your folks have gone away
Would you dance with me today
I’ll show you how to have a good time, Angie Baby
When he walks in her room,
He feels confused like he’s walked into a play
And the music’s so loud it spins him around
‘Til his soul has lost its way
And as she turns the volume down
He’s getting smaller with the sound
It seems to pull him off the ground
Toward the radio he’s bound never to be found
The headlines read that a boy disappeared
and everyone thinks he died
‘Cept a crazy girl with a secret lover
Who keeps her satisfied
It’s so nice to be insane
No one asks you to explain
Radio by your side, Angie Baby
President Obama quotes “Stone Free”!
Where oh where are you tonight?
Why do you leave me here all alone?
I searched the world over and I thought I found true love,
you met another and pffffft you were gone.